In its current form, PowerToys offers a total of 28 different utilities that improve the user experience for Windows 10 and 11 users. The latest release, version 0.93, introduced a much-needed Dashboard redesign, giving users a quick and easy way to toggle available modules, check out shortcuts, and access quick actions. Still, there is one important bit missing: search.
Search is a critical part of tools like PowerToys. Windows 11"s Settings app, for example, has a pretty advanced search, which, on supported devices, can understand natural language and even take action on your behalf. In PowerToys, though, you have to dig through different modules to find the exact setting you need. Quite inconvenient. However, it seems that the upcoming update will mitigate that.
A pull request with an "In for 0.94" tag on GitHub offers to upgrade PowerToys with a dedicated search bar that will let you find modules, specific settings, and other elements. Just type what you need to adjust, and the app will show you all the plugins that match your request.
Here is what the search bar could look like in the next PowerToys update:
PowerToys usually gets major feature updates every month, with a couple of servicing updates in between big releases. For now, there is no guarantee that the search bar will make it to the next release, but it is definitely a welcome change that Microsoft should implement in the fan-favorite app for Windows 10 and 11. You can track the feature progress on GitHub. PowerToys is open-source, which means every developer can offer suggestions and contributions. Some of them include useful new modules for PowerToys Command Palette, a handy launcher that every Windows user should try.